Field land



(No Model.) I H HITT.

HARNESS SADDLE. No. 425,175. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

llvvmrofil A TTOHNE Y8 UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

MARCELLUS M. HITT, OF SHEFFIELD, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHEF- FIELD LAND, IRON, AND COAL COMPANY, OF sAME PLAoE.

HARNESS-SADDLE;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,175, dated April 8, 1890. Application filed January 22, 1890. Serial No. 337,715. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAROELLUS M. HITT, of Sheffield, in the county of Colbert and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harness, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in harness, and essentially to the means used for connecting the bearing strap or straps with a harness-sadd1e, and has more particularly for its object to provide for the play of the bearing-straps to conform to motions of the horse, with facility for detaching the same when necessary to attach or detach the tugs connected with said straps to or from the shafts, but so that said bearing-straps are secure against beingaccidentally detached from the saddle.

The invention consists in a bearing-strap lock for harness-saddles and in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, substantially as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a harness-saddle having my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in part upon-the line a; a: in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section upon the line y 'y in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is an outside face view mainly of the bearing-strap look.

A indicates the skirt in part and B the pad portions of the saddle, which may be of the usual or any approved construction.

0 is the pad or water-hook,-and D one of the terrets.

E is the bearing-strap, one of which is applied to each skirt-half of the saddle, and which is designed to have connected with it by buckles or otherwise the usual tug that receives the vehicle-shaft. (Not here shown in the drawings.)

The lock G, which is applied to each bearing-strap E, is constructed substantially as follows: Said lock, that may be made of any suitable metal, but preferably malleable castiron, is substantially of an inverted T shape and is formed in part of a main shank portion b, which is secured at its upper end to the skirt of the saddle by the terret D, and of a lower crossing portion constructed to form a clamp 0, having bent outer ends which lap round and under the edge portions of the skirt, so as to clip the same. This clamp portion 0 is also madewith a central head f,having a pivot-pin g projecting outwardly from its center and upper and lower inwardlygrooved flanges h h, of partially circular form, leaving opposite side openings e 2' between them. The upper end of the bearing-strap E is perforated to engage with the pivot-pin g, and is fitted with a metal cap H that also engages with the pin g, and is slotted on its lower side to receive the perforated upper end of the bearing-strap. Said cap H, which fits down within or on the head f, between the inwardly-grooved flanges h h, is also provided with upper and lower lateral lips or lugs 7t, that engage with the grooves in the flanges h h, and which are of a width that will admit of them being lifted out through the side openings i 1', when the bearingstrap carrying the cap H along with it is turned at right angles or thereabout to the skirt of the saddle, after which the bearing-strap E, being, along with its metal cap, removed from the head f and pivot-pin g, may be drawn out of the cap or detached.

By means of the lock thus provided for the bearing-strap E said strap will be free to swing or work from its point of suspension to conform to the motions of the horse, thus relieving the tugs from wear and giving more free dom of action generally, but not admitting of said strap beingaccidentallydetached orotherwise than purposely by turning it at right angles or thereabont to the skirt of the saddle, so as to bring the lips 70 k on the cap H in line with the openings '6 i in the head f, which will provide for attaching or detaching the tugs. At other times, or when the harness is in use, the shafts of the vehicle passing through the tugs will hold the bearing-straps locked.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-==- 1. In a bearing-strap connection for har- Tee mess-saddles, the lock G, secured to the saddle and composed of a head f, having upper and lower locking-flanges h, with one or more openings L' between the1n,in combination with the cap H, applied to the upper end of the bearing-strap and provided with one or more lips or lugs is, adapted to engage with and disengage from the locking-flanges 71, essentially as described.

2. In a bearing-strap look for harness-saddles, the head f of the lock having a central pivot-pin g and upper and lower lockingflanges h, with openings 1? between them, in combination with the rotatable cap ll, having lips or lugs k, adapted to engage with and disengage from said locking-flanges, and the bearing-strap E, fitted to said cap and perforated to engage with or over the pivot-pin g, substantially as shown and described.

In a bearing-strap lock for harness-saddles, the lock G, constructed with an upwardlyextending shank l), and a lower locking-head f, constructed to form a clamp 0, made to clip the skirt of the saddle within it, in combination with the saddle, the terret D, securing said lock-shank to the saddle, and the rotatable cap II, adapted to engage with and disengage l'rom said looking-head and to hold or receive the upper end of the bearing-strap within it, essentially as specified.

MARUELLUS M. IIITl.

\Vitnesses:

\V. II. JONES, .T. 'l. SenLnY. 

